MY TALES TO TELL :)

Trip to the Southwest

It is interesting how we still manage to call Texas, or New Mexico, or Arizona, as The Southwest, when in fact, from a perspective of someone living in California, it is now to our east.

This is the first day of our drive towards Austin, Texas. It is spring, and unlike our cross-country back in winter, we expect no snowstorms, and thus, no detours. We commenced our trip in California, traversed the state of Nevada, and after a 12-hour drive, spent the night in Kingman, Arizona.

Commencing our trip to Texas.Snow still powders some California mountains in spring.Snow dusted mountains in Northern California like Donner Peak are famous for ski adventures.Wonderful view of Donner Lake from the highway.

California is green in early spring. We were approaching the California-Nevada border.Crossing the Nevada border.Starting to see less mountains and more dry desert as we were approaching Reno, Nevada.Random green hills in Nevada in spring.Passing by a military base in Nevada.Passing by a military base in Nevada.Snow-capped Sierras.If you squint a little harder, you would think this is Mars.Random roads leading to nowhere are always appealing.Some roads that to lead to nowhere.Random sight of dust devil along our way.Learning that dust devils are common in this part of the country.Approaching Walker Lake in Nevada.Walker Lake is a terminal lake, meaning it has no outlet. It is fed by the Walker River with its headwaters in the Sierra Nevada in California.The lakebed of Walker Lake is a remnant of prehistoric Lake Lahontan that covered much of northwestern Nevada during the ice age.Walker Lake in Nevada is a terminal lake, meaning it has no natural outlet, except absorption and evaporation.

Had a bit of a stroll around Walker Lake in Nevada.A breathtaking view of the Sierras surrounding the west side of Walker Lake in Nevada.The surrounding area of Walker Lake was inhabited by Native Americans as far back as 11,000 years ago.We were met by a downpour as we were approaching Tonopah, Nevada.Passing through the historic Tonopah town in Nevada. This town is famous for silver mining. The Mizpah Hotel, along with the nearby Belvada Building, both five stories high, were both once the tallest buildings in Nevada until 1927 with five stories to boast.Passing through Boulder City in Nevada.Approaching Lake Mead in Nevada.View of Lake Mead in Nevada that feeds the Hover Dam.A quick stop at Hover Dam in Nevada.Crossing the Arizona border.Arriving at Kingman, Arizona to spend the night at.